Esperanza Huerta
Esperanza Huerta (born January 1, 1978) is the current Governor of Florida and founder of Huerta Cruise. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Huerta inherited her parents' small cruise line and holdings after their early death, and successfully grew the small business into a multi-billion dollar company and the dominating force in the industry. Huerta successfully ran for Governor of Florida in 2014. She is Florida's first female and first Hispanic Governor, as well as the first Democrat elected in the 21st century. Early Life Esperanza Huerta was born on New Years' Day, 1978, in the city of Miami to immigrant parents from Mexico, having fled the nation in the midst of controversy. In her youth, Huerta grew up fairly wealthy, attending private schools, and having personal tutoring services. Upon graduating high school, Huerta applied for, and was accepted into, the University of Cambridge, and attended the college, earning a Masters of Sciences in Chemistry by the age of twenty-two, and returning to the United States. Parents' Death and Business Career At the age of twenty-two, both of Huerta's parents were killed in a boat explosion, leaving her the sole inheritor of their business and resources. Huerta set herself to work to grow the small organization, and was remarked upon for her single-minded dedication to the task, and general absence of activities beyond the pursuits of business. Huerta's methods were remarked on as aggressive and assertive, or more negatively as harsh and vicious. Several business were undercut, acquired, and sold by Huerta Cruise during its rise, often to the great chagrin of her rivals in the field. Huerta received some comparison to the late John Rockefeller, showing aggressive tactics within the business world, but becoming known for her charitable works outside of it. By 2012, Huerta Cruise had successfully taken over Carnival and Royal Caribbean to become the largest cruise line in the world. Huerta integrated the company vertically, investing heavily in shipyards, centred at Mayport, Florida. By later that year, the company successfully completed its full transition to biofuels, the first in the world to make that change. Political Career In 2014, Huerta began her political career in a bid for the Governorship of Florida. The young businesswoman ran on a platform of economic growth paired with social justice, and was victorious, garnering 54% of the vote. Once in office, Huerta directed her efforts towards reform in the tax code, striking out a variety of loopholes, while cutting taxes in totality, and instituting worker's protection reforms. The laws she passed, though generally effective, resulted in Huerta Cruise posting losses in each of her years in the Governorship. In early 2016, Huerta completed long-term negotiations with a variety of network heads, and created the Tallahassee News Station, or TNS, which she divested from in order to avoid conflicts of interest. The news organization grew rapidly in viewership and influence over the 2016 campaign. During the Democratic primaries, Huerta endorsed Governor Kailen Murray before the Florida primary, and campaigned for him in Wyoming, but differences between the two grew severe, and Huerta rescinded her endorsement, and recused herself from the primaries in a public apology, though she did attack California Governor Ray Ramirez after his alleged puppeting of Senator Conti in the Presidential race. Huerta spoke, during the WAC controversy, at the American Unity event, During Huerta's second legislative session, intense disagreement with the Republican majority in both houses led to, after last-minute negotiation, the passage of several compromise bills, strengthening accountability and ethics reform, transportation funding, worker's compensation reform, manatee protection, and, most controversially, a bill simultaneously loosening firearm restrictions while reducing penalties for drug usage. Huerta, scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention, cancelled her appearance in order to return to Florida to call a special session to deal with the Zika crisis in southern Florida. After the Republican National Convention, and Democratic nominee Robert Dander's speech at Gettsyburg, Huerta formally made a press release that she would not endorse him for President, citing dishonesty and policies, including significant tax hikes, tariffs, and socialization of healthcare, that she posited she had a responsibility to oppose. She reinforced her commitment to remaining with the Democratic party regardless of the opposition. Personal Life Huerta is unmarried, and has no children.